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Tense
Signal words
Use
Form
Examples
affirmative
Examples
negative
Examples
interrogative
I work.
I don't work.
Do I work?
He works.
He doesn't work.
Does he work?
I go.
I don't go.
Do I go?
He goes.
He doesn't go.
Does he go?
I'm working.
I'm not working.
Am I working?
He's working.
He isn't working.
Is he working?
I'm going.
I'm not going.
Am I going?
He's going.
He isn't going.
Is he going?
I worked.
I didn't work.
Did I work?
He worked.
He didn't work.
Did he work?
I didn't go.
Did I go?
He didn't go.
Did he go?
every day
sometimes
always
Simple
Present
often
usually
•
•
•
•
•
•
seldom
something happens repeatedly
how often something happens
one action follows another
infinitive
things in general
with verbs like (to love, to
he/she/it:
hate, to think, etc.)
infinitive + s
future meaning: timetables,
programmes
never
first ... then
now
Present
Progressive
at the moment
Look!
•
•
something is happening at the
same time of speaking or
around it
future meaning: when you
have already decided and
arranged to do it (a fixed
plan, date)
be (am/are/is) +
infinitive + ing
Listen!
last ...
Simple
Past
... ago
in 1990
yesterday
action took place in the past,
mostly connected with an
expression of time (no connection
to the present)
regular:
infinitive + ed
irregular:
I went.
(2nd column of table
of irregular verbs)
He went.
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•
Past
Progressive
•
while
an action happened in the
middle of another action
someone was doing sth. at a
certain time (in the past) - you was/were +
infinitive + ing
don't know whether it was
finished or not
I was working.
I wasn't working.
Was I working?
He was working.
He wasn't working.
Was he working?
I was going.
I wasn't going.
Was I going?
He was going.
He wasn't going.
Was he going?
I have worked.
I haven't worked.
Have I worked?
He has worked.
He hasn’t worked.
Has he worked?
I have gone.
I haven't gone.
Have I gone?
He has gone.
He hasn’t gone.
Has he gone?
I have been
working.
I haven't been
working.
Have I been
working?
He has been
working.
He hasn't been
working.
Has he been
working?
I have been going.
I haven't been going. Have I been going?
He has been
going.
He hasn't been
going.
just
yet
never
ever
Simple
Present
Perfect
•
already
so far,
•
you say that sth. has
happened or is finished in the
past and it has a connection to
the present
action started in the past and
continues up to the present
up to now,
have/has + past
participle*
*(infinitive + ed) or
(3rd column of table
of irregular verbs)
since
for
recently
all day
the whole day
Present Perfect
how long
Progressive
since
for
•
•
action began in the past and
has just stopped
how long the action has been
happening
emphasis: length of time of an
action
have/has + been +
infinitive + ing
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Has he been
going?
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•
already
Simple Past
Perfect
just
never
how long
Past Perfect
Progressive
since
for
•
how long something had been
happening before something else
happened
•
•
will - future
•
•
going to future
mostly when two actions in a
story are related to each
other: the action which had
already happened is put into
Past Perfect, the other action
into Simple Past
the past of the Present Perfect
•
predictions about the future
(you think that sth will
happen)
you decide to do sth.
spontaneously at the time of
speaking
main clause in type I of the
Conditional sentences
had + past
participle*
*(infinitive + ed) or
(3rd column of table
of irregular verbs)
had + been +
infinitive + ing
I had worked.
I hadn't worked.
Had I worked?
He had worked.
He hadn't worked.
Had he worked?
I had gone.
I hadn't gone.
Had I gone?
He had gone.
He hadn't gone.
Had he gone?
I had been
working.
I hadn't been
working.
Had I been
working?
He had been
working.
He hadn't been
working.
Had he been
working?
I had been going.
I hadn't been going.
Had I been going?
He had been
going.
He hadn't been
going.
Had he been
going?
I'll work.
I won't work.
Will I work?
He'll work.
He won't work.
Will he work?
I'll go.
I won't go.
Will I go?
He'll go.
He won't go.
Will he go?
I'm going to
work.
I'm not going to
work.
Am I going to
work?
He's going to
work.
He's not going to
work.
Is he going to
work?
I'm going to go.
I'm not going to go.
Am I going to go?
He's going to go.
He's not going to go.
Is he going to go?
will + infinitive
when you have already
decided to do sth. in the future
be (am/are/is) +
what you think what will
going to + infinitive
happen
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
Future
Progressive
Future Perfect
Simple
Future
Perfect
Progressive
Conditional
Simple

An action will be in progress at
a certain time in the future.
This action has begun before
will + be + infinitive
the certain time.
Something happens because it + ing
normally happens.
will + have + past
participle*
sth. will already have happened
before a certain time in the future
sth. will already have happened
before a certain time in the future
emphasis: length of time of an
action


sth. that might happen
main clause in type II of the
Conditional sentences
*(infinitive + ed) or
(3rd column of table
of irregular verbs)
will + have + been +
infinitive + ing
I'll be working.
I won't be working.
He'll be working.
He won't be working. Will he be working?
I'll be going.
I won't be going.
Will I be going?
He'll be going.
He won't be going.
Will he be going?
I'll have worked.
I won't have worked. Will I have worked?
He'll have
worked.
He won't have
worked.
Will he have
worked?
I'll have gone.
I won't have gone.
Will I have gone?
He'll have gone.
He won't have gone.
Will he have gone?
I'll have been
working.
I won't have been
working.
Will I have been
working?
He'll have been
working.
He won't have been
working.
Will he have been
working?
I'll have been
going.
I won't have been
going.
Will I have been
going?
He'll have been
going.
He won't have been
going.
Will he have been
going?
I would work.
I wouldn't work.
Would I work?
He would work.
He wouldn't work.
Would he work?
I would go.
I wouldn't go.
Would I go?
He would go.
He wouldn't go.
Would he go?
Will I be working?
would + infinitive
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sth. that might happen
Conditional
Progressive
emphasis: length of time of an
action

Conditional
Perfect
Conditional
Perfect
Progressive

would + be +
infinitive + ing
would + have + past
sth. that might have happened
participle*
in the past
main clause in type III of the
*(infinitive + ed) or
Conditional sentences
(3rd column of table
of irregular verbs)
sth. that might have happened in
the past
emphasis: length of time of an
action
would + have + been
+ infinitive + ing
I would be
working.
I wouldn't be
working.
Would I be
working?
He would be
working.
He wouldn't be
working.
Would he be
working?
I would be going.
I wouldn't be going.
Would I be going?
He would be
going.
He wouldn't be
going.
Would he be
going?
I would have
worked.
I wouldn't have
worked.
Would I have
worked?
He would have
worked.
He wouldn't have
worked.
Would he have
worked?
I would have
gone.
I wouldn't have
gone.
Would I have
gone?
He would have
gone.
He wouldn't have
gone.
Would he have
gone?
I would have been
working.
I wouldn't have been Would I have been
working.
working?
He would have
been working.
He wouldn't have
been working.
I would have been
going.
I wouldn't have been Would I have been
going?
going.
He would have
been going.
He wouldn't have
been going.
Would he
have been working?
Would he
have been going?
We sometimes use Continuous instead of Progressive. Some signal words can be found in more tenses. We have not listed signal words in the future. Always remember
what action is described.
Used colours:
blue → infinitive
grey → irregular verbs in the Simple Past
red → negation
→ auxiliary
→ ending
→ past participle
→ signal word
dark green
purple
orange
light green
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